


The Right Time

by snobbypenpusher



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Family Planning, Married Life, post honeymoon, real talk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-10
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 22:34:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26396467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snobbypenpusher/pseuds/snobbypenpusher
Summary: Fresh off of their honeymoon, Barry and Iris return home to a messy bathroom and, while cleaning, realize they have very different ideas about the right time to start a family.
Relationships: Barry Allen/Iris West
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	The Right Time

**Author's Note:**

> Randomly wrote this out of the blue today. Hope you enjoy. Please let me know what you think with a comment!

Barry dragged Iris by the arm towards their bathroom. They’d been back from their honeymoon for less than twenty-four hours, but the mess they’d left behind had been calling to Barry ever since.  Iris, who was usually the tidier of the two, reluctantly followed her husband to the cesspool of toiletries, used towels, and other odds and ends they left behind for Italy. 

Two glorious weeks of nothing but crepes, cheese, wine, and lots and lots of sex. Iris wasn’t at all ready to return to the city, much less their torn up bathroom. 

“Babe,” Iris whined at the door. “Must we do this now?” 

“Look, there’s nothing I want to do more than relax, forever with you. But we‘re back in the city now. And I can’t function in this clutter. It gives me the heebie jeebies.” 

“Then why don’t you speed-clean it all up?” 

“Because if I accidentally throw away your berry breeze lipstick that’s been discontinued since 2010 I’ll hear never the end of it.”

Iris tilted her head, then decided Barry was right. “Fine, Allen. But after this, you’re getting me some fresh mozzarella and croissants from that bakery around the corner. “ 

Barry leaned into his wife and kissed her on the forehead. “Deal.” 

He then stepped aside, and let his wife walk ahead of him. “Ladies first.” 

“Gee thanks,” Iris said, as she crossed the barrier into their messy bathroom, deeply regretting the frenzy they were both in the night they left for Italy. 

They couldn’t get out of the city fast enough, so things kind of got flung in every direction. 

Iris peered around the chaos and decided that the medicine cabinet would be the easiest place to start. Barry agreed and walked over to it, as Iris took a seat on the sink next to it.

“Okay, lets see what we can get rid of,” said Barry, as he pushed the mirror aside. 

The speedster lifted a large container of lavender lotion from the cabinet. 

Iris frowned. “Trash.” 

Barry tossed it in a pile to his right. 

“What about this...” he paused to squint, “Lemon-Pearl Lip Scrub?” 

“Trash.” 

“Creamsicle hair conditioner?” 

“Trash."

“Never Crunchy Curl Crème?” 

“Trash.” 

“Expired antibiotics?” 

“Trash—duh.” 

Barry sighed. “Guess I could’ve speed-cleaned this after all. You don’t seem to want anything.” 

Iris, who was less than interested in where the rest of their old crap went, half-heartedly looked up at the remaining contents in the cabinet. “Ehh, trash it all.” 

Barry clapped. “Great.” 

“But if you come across that berry breeze lipstick, save it or you’re toast.” 

“Yes ma’am,” Barry replied with a laugh. 

It took less than a breath for Barry to clear out the rest of the medicine cabinet. Unfortunately, it only made the trash pile on the floor even larger. But at least they were done with one part of the bathroom. Just to be careful, he gave the cabinet one last look over, only to find a brown box hiding in the corner. 

_ Condoms _ . Half a used box. Now that he and Iris were married, they wouldn’t need them anymore. With a smile, and without checking with Iris, he tossed the box of condoms on the floor. Iris peered up from her phone just in time to catch him and immediately jumped up.

“Whoa there, babe.” 

“What?” 

“Are those expired or something?” 

“No, they’re in date.” 

“So why are they in the trash pile?” 

“We’re married now,” he said, matter-of-factly, "Wnd we didn’t use any on the honeymoon.” 

Iris started to speak but slowed to gather her words. “ _ That _ was a wedding present. One  that I pre-planned, by getting back on birth control in time for it.” 

“But what if I’m not done celebrating?” Barry asked. It was his turn to whine. 

“Oh, babe,” Iris said, pulling Barry close to her, securing her hands around his wai st. “You know how much I'd love to celebrate more, but birth control doesn’t agree with my body. I can’t stand it for long periods of time.” 

Barry thought back to when Iris was a teenager, and how Joe had reluctantly allowed her on birth control to regulate her cycle. She’d always suffered adverse effects. As an adult, at least within the confines of their relationship, nothing had changed so they were always diligent about using condoms and not having a surprise pregnancy. 

“I remember,” Barry said. “I just, being with you, flesh to flesh...” 

“It’s okay, you can say raw,” Iris interjected. 

Barry laughed. “So dirty.” 

“Please,” Iris said, hand on hip. “You were a fucking animal, don’t act innocent now.” 

Barry rolled his eyes. “All I’m saying is that making love to you on our honeymoon changed my life. Not to be insensitive to you, but I just assumed we were done with condoms.” 

“Well, I guess you don‘t  _ have  _ to use condoms.” 

Barry smiled. 

“...when you have sex with yourself.” 

Barry pressed a hand to his heart and fell out of Iris‘s arms, to the floor. 

“OMG Barr?!” Iris jumped up. “What’s wrong?” 

“You showed me the promised land, then stole it away. I’m gone."

Iris laughed, that deep and hearty laugh that came, not because Barry was necessarily funny, but because she was so damn in love. Even though she wanted to kill him for scaring her. 

“Come on babe, get up ” Iris pleaded. 

Barry opened his arms. “No, you come here.” 

Iris looked to the mess, dirt, and grime surrounding him and scrunched up her face. 

“I’m waiting.” 

“No, this floor is disgusting.” 

“Do you not love me enough?” 

“Damn, Allen. I already let you hit it raw. Like ten times!” Iris yelled, holding up ten fingers for good measure. “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.” 

Barry folded his arms over his chest and pouted, playfully. “Yeah, 10 wonderful, life-changing times. But never again?” He asked, half-jokingly, half serious. '

He and Iris were usually on the same page, so how he assumed they were done with condoms, while Iris was vehemently against it, wasn’t something to take lightly. He didn’t want to enter their marriage with different expectations about family planning. 

Iris rolled her eyes, and, finally, squatted next to Barry on the floor. 

“Barry, can I ask you something serious? 

“Of course.” 

“Are you really ready to have unprotected sex on the regular?” 

“Hell ye—” 

“And the babies that come with it?” Because, I’ll be honest, I don’t know if I’m ready to have children yet.” 

Barry stopped for a moment. He knew that he’d always wanted to have a family with Iris, and once she agreed to marry him, he knew that future was certain. As far as the timeline, he hadn’t thought too much about when it would happen. But apparently, Iris had. 

“Truthfully, I didn’t think we’d have children our first year of marriage. I always thought we‘d just enjoy being married, without the extra responsibilities first, but after that, I would be up for it.” 

Iris nodded. 

“And, of course,” Barry added quickly, “I’d be up for it, even if it happened today, on accident. You’ve been my whole world my whole life, and whenever you get pregnant, our child will become a part of that. 

Iris ran a loving hand along Barry’s cheek. “That’s beautiful, Barr. Do you really mean that?” 

“Will all my heart.” He took her hand in his and kissed it. 

“But I have a feeling that’s not your plan, is it?” he added. 

Iris shook her head. “It’s not a your-plan, my-plan, thing. Barr. We’re married now and should make this decision together.” 

“Okay.” 

“But if I’m being honest, I didn’t see kids in my future for at least 3-5 years.” 

Barry took in Iris’s words, in silence. Iris wasn’t sure how to take his non-response

  


“Listen honey,” Iris said, climbing on top of her husband of two weeks. 

Iris settled on top of Barry and he enclosed his hands around her waist, to steady her. “There is nothing in this life that will make me happier than being the mother of your children, but I need a little bit more time. You understand, right?” 

“Yeah, I understand if you’re not ready yet. We shouldn’t rush until we’re both 100 %.” 

“It’s not even about not being ready. I’m certain I could be a good, loving mother.” 

“Of course.” 

“It’s just that, society discards women after they have kids. I know, for a fact, that my journalism career will slow down. It’ll be harder to get—and keep—jobs. Writing, like saving people, and fighting crime for you, is what gets me up every day. I’m not ready to give up my career yet.” 

Iris turned her head as if she was embarrassed of sharing this fact. Barry lifted his arms from Iris‘s waist, up to her shoulders, tilting her body back towards him. 

“There is nothing wrong with that, Iris. Absolutely nothing. You’re right about how society treats mothers. I’m just sorry that I didn’t consider that.” 

“It’s okay. You just wanna cum in me all willy, nilly. You’re not thinking straight.” 

Barry couldn’t help but laugh because it wasn’t exactly a lie.

“That aside,” he said, after he composed himself, “Whenever we have kids, you’re not going to bear that responsibility alone. I’m going to be the best, most involved father ever. Feedings, changing, nighttime lullabys. Every step of the way I'll be there. With your and our babies."

Iris pressed her hand to heart, which was nearly exploding with love. "If there's one thing I now for certain, it's that you mean every word of this." 

"I sure do. Plus, I have speed so we won’t have to worry about living in squalor, when you’re too tired to clean.” 

Iris laughed and looked around their disgusting bathroom. “You mean like now?” 

Barry laughed too. “Yeah, like now.”


End file.
